I haven't worked out at all since Friday. I haven't become lazy, I've just been busy. I watched over 20 basketball games over the weekend. Yesterday, the weather was stormy. That meant I had to get a lot done today. I opted to bike and run.
I had to work at lunch and later in the afternoon. In between, I got out for an easy 10 mile bike ride. That was nice. The weather was much better than last week. It was still humid, but only in the 80s.
After dinner, I had to try to get my run in. I needed to let my stomach settle a little. I knew that starting around 7 PM would mean that I'd be close to dark when I finished my planned 10 mile trail run. I'm basically just running on trails these days.
I headed to Jacobsburg again. This time, I parked in the small lot at the north end of the park. I wanted to start somewhere different for a change, even though I'd be running about the same course.
I ran the Sober's Run Loop. I went in the clockwise direction this time to change it up. Usually, I run the other way. The beginning was annoying because they haven't trimmed the brush along the trail in that section. After I got past there, I was on to the nice, soft dirt section along the ridge. I went along nice and easy.
I was on the main trail and instead of staying on that, I ran the winding dirt singletrack along the creek. I just discovered this section and I really like it. It is peaceful along the water and it is kind of remote. Plus, it is something new.
After that ended, I came back onto the main trail. This was a different section than I usually run too. I wasn't sure where it would come out. I still sort of knew where I was. The path then came out to a road and I had to turn around and come back. It wasn't too long and I was on the section I am familiar with.
This next section was a long gradual uphill. Usually when I run this loop, I go the other direction and I have a steep uphill and gradual downhill. This time, it was the opposite. Because this section was such a gradual ascend, I ran most of it. I did walk for a short bit though. I didn't walk much at all during this run.
It wasn't too long and I was back at my car to wipe off with a towel and refill my water bottle. By now, I was at mile 3.33. I still had 2/3 of the run to go.
I decided that I would run my usual long loop. This time, I would going the opposite direction too. It rained a lot and I was looking forward to running through the muddy sections between the roads. That was sure a fun mess. I was glad I didn't lose a shoe. Going this direction, this section was mostly downhill.
I was now around mile 5. By this point, my shorts were soaked from sweating. Even though it was cooler, it was still humid out. The most annoying part of the whole run was in this area. As I ran through the woods, flies or some bugs kept landing on my sweaty head. It was annoying.
I saw some bikers in this section. I came across quite a few people on this run. There were a handful of mountain bikers, some hikers and two runners. I rarely see anyone trail running there. Of course I was on the only one running shirtless, but I sweat so much that I'm glad I did that.
I cruised along the path toward the main parking lot. This section was nice and easy. It was starting to get a bit dark under the cover of the trees. It was somewhere around 7 miles where I got to the water fountain for a brief water refill. Luckily, I didn't really need it since it was cooling off a lot.
I watched the miles tick away. Now, I headed up the steep path. I ran just about the whole thing since I was feeling good. I was going to run my usual route, but in reverse. Then I saw the path that leads to the open field area. I knew it would be a tough uphill, but it would be short. After that, it would be mostly flat and I could cruise along. There was a lot of downhill.
I cruised down the trail. This section was nice because it was open to daylight. I didn't have much of that remaining, but it was good to have. Eventually, I was back to the road and going back to the Sober's Run Loop.
I was over 8 miles and figured that when I got back to my car, it would be 9 miles. By now, I was getting a bit tired. Plus, I was soaked. I was also losing a lot of light. I could've ran through the true dirt trail section back to my car, but with little visibility and my headlamp in the car, I opted for the flatter normal path.
I got back to my car at almost exactly 9.33 miles. That meant this longer loop was 6 miles long. I decided to cross the road and do a short out and back on the Bushkill Trail. I was just hoping they didn't ticket my car because it was after dark. I went out and turned around and finished up at 10 miles.
My quads were a bit sore. It was a nice run though. I was happy to hit double digits. I'm hoping that I can run another 10-20 easy trail miles tomorrow. I'm trying to get myself used to running back to back long runs. That is a staple of ultra running. I did that pretty well that the other week. I also hope for another double digit bike ride tomorrow. It is time to get back to work with my training.
10 miles - 1:49:15 (10:55 pace)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Hot as Hell
We've been experiencing a heatwave recently and today was the worst of it yet. I struggled through a 20 mile bike ride yesterday. I knew my planned trail run and bike ride today would be tough, I just didn't realize how tough.
I went to Jacobsburg to run. The plan was to take advantage of the shade and run an easy 5 miles. I haven't run since Sunday's race. I was a bit sore for a few days after that, plus I was sick at one point. I felt much better this afternoon.
I started off with not shirt on and my handheld water bottle to keep me hydrated. I began across the road from the parking lot. I knew I'd need to walk some. I figured that I would run out about 2 miles and then come back.
Most of this section is in the shade, but even there, it was still hot. I walked early and often. The areas in the sun were just unbearable. It was hard to even run a full mile, even at my slow pace.
I got out to about 1.6 miles and I had just had enough of going out. If I wanted to run extra distance when I was at my car, that would be fine, but I couldn't keep going out.
I was soaked by this point and it only got worse. The final half mile or more back to the car was downhill, so that helped and I ran a lot of it. I passed some kids hiking. Earlier, I saw a couple women hiking with a dog. It was great to be back at the car, but I was only just past 3 miles at that point.
I stopped off at the water fountain to get a drink. I just sputtered along the main path along the creek. This path is flat, but busy with families using the creek to swim in during this time of year. I had to navigate around them.
I walked some of the uphill in this section. When I got to 3.8 miles, I was starting to go downhill. I didn't want to have to come back up it, so I turned around. It was mostly downhill back to the water fountain.
When I was back at my car, I was still only at 4.5 miles. By now, I at least I knew I'd complete this slow run. I went back on the original trail that I took earlier. This required some slight uphill. I cruised downhill to finish then and was just exhausted. I couldn't believe how brutal it was. I couldn't have done much more mileage, even if I would've rested more. This was easily among the hottest conditions that I've ever run in.
I went home and rested for about half and hour. I then headed out to bike. When I rode yesterday, it was hot. It wasn't too bad though because the air that blew onto me was cool. Today, that wasn't the case. The air was very hot and sticky. I started to get lightheaded. I felt so bad that I was afraid I might pass out if I kept it up. I cut the ride very, very short, to just 7 miles. That was enough in the heat.
I felt dizzy and overheated one time when I rode in this type of weather. It took me hours to recover and I was so scared that day. Luckily, I didn't push it that far today. When I came in and got into the cool air, I was fine.
Tomorrow is supposed to be just as bad. Since I want to get more miles on the bike, I'm going to try getting up early and biking. I know that will be tough, but it is better than riding during the day. I hate the heat so much and can't wait for this to be over.
5 miles - 57:00 (11:25)
I went to Jacobsburg to run. The plan was to take advantage of the shade and run an easy 5 miles. I haven't run since Sunday's race. I was a bit sore for a few days after that, plus I was sick at one point. I felt much better this afternoon.
I started off with not shirt on and my handheld water bottle to keep me hydrated. I began across the road from the parking lot. I knew I'd need to walk some. I figured that I would run out about 2 miles and then come back.
Most of this section is in the shade, but even there, it was still hot. I walked early and often. The areas in the sun were just unbearable. It was hard to even run a full mile, even at my slow pace.
I got out to about 1.6 miles and I had just had enough of going out. If I wanted to run extra distance when I was at my car, that would be fine, but I couldn't keep going out.
I was soaked by this point and it only got worse. The final half mile or more back to the car was downhill, so that helped and I ran a lot of it. I passed some kids hiking. Earlier, I saw a couple women hiking with a dog. It was great to be back at the car, but I was only just past 3 miles at that point.
I stopped off at the water fountain to get a drink. I just sputtered along the main path along the creek. This path is flat, but busy with families using the creek to swim in during this time of year. I had to navigate around them.
I walked some of the uphill in this section. When I got to 3.8 miles, I was starting to go downhill. I didn't want to have to come back up it, so I turned around. It was mostly downhill back to the water fountain.
When I was back at my car, I was still only at 4.5 miles. By now, I at least I knew I'd complete this slow run. I went back on the original trail that I took earlier. This required some slight uphill. I cruised downhill to finish then and was just exhausted. I couldn't believe how brutal it was. I couldn't have done much more mileage, even if I would've rested more. This was easily among the hottest conditions that I've ever run in.
I went home and rested for about half and hour. I then headed out to bike. When I rode yesterday, it was hot. It wasn't too bad though because the air that blew onto me was cool. Today, that wasn't the case. The air was very hot and sticky. I started to get lightheaded. I felt so bad that I was afraid I might pass out if I kept it up. I cut the ride very, very short, to just 7 miles. That was enough in the heat.
I felt dizzy and overheated one time when I rode in this type of weather. It took me hours to recover and I was so scared that day. Luckily, I didn't push it that far today. When I came in and got into the cool air, I was fine.
Tomorrow is supposed to be just as bad. Since I want to get more miles on the bike, I'm going to try getting up early and biking. I know that will be tough, but it is better than riding during the day. I hate the heat so much and can't wait for this to be over.
5 miles - 57:00 (11:25)
Sunday, July 14, 2013
2013 Quadzilla 15K
Today was my favorite race in the area, the Quadzilla 15K at Trexler Nature Preserve. It is the most beautiful and challenging course around. I knew coming in that I wasn't running strong, or fast at least.
Last year, I felt like I ran too slow and conservative early on in the race. This year, I decided to go out hard and see if I could stay in front of a lot of people. I knew there was a chance that that strategy could blow up on me.
I took off very fast. I was definitely inside the Top 10 as I was flying down the paved start of the race. I ran fast and was breathing heavy. Obviously, I knew I wouldn't sustain it. I hoped that on the trail I could slow down a bit and recover. I knew some faster people would certainly pass me.
The first uphill slowed me down and quite a few people passed me. I continued to breath heavy and just couldn't recover. The humidity was getting to me, even this early on.
As I got to about 2/3 of a mile, the lead women passed me. I knew right then that I definitely went out way too fast. Not long after the first mile, I already had to walk a short uphill because I had overdone it. I definitely was the first person in the lead pack to be walking.
I think my friend Tim was the first person that I knew that went by me. I kept waiting for Flo and was surprised that quite a few women were ahead of her. She ended up passing me right before mile 2.
Of course I had to walk a lot of the long uphill after that. Sarah passed me in this section. The only cool thing about fading so badly was that I was passed by a lot of friends and got to chat with them.
Again, I was dieing as I started running after the uphill. Of course it was cloudy at the beginning of the race and now that we were out of the woods, the sun was blazing. That slowed me even more. I did pass some people in this area and on the rolling hills. As I was going by one woman, I realized that I had met her before when a friend was doing track workouts. I chatted with her for a bit. I was ahead of her, but then eventually she went flying past and finished well ahead of me.
I got to the first road crossing just after mile 3. My friend Jessica was working there. I already told her I was toast and that my strategy backfired. I said the same thing to my dad who was taking photos just up the trail. I told April that as well at the water stop by the Environmental Center. I was low on water, so I took some to refill my handheld.
Someone was on the ground at the bottom of a hill past the Environmental Center. I guess maybe he collapsed from the heat. I knew if I didn't take it easy, that could very well be me. I don't handle the heat well at all.
My friend Mel had caught me in this section and we ran/walked together for some time. As I was cruising along, this cute young lady passed me and I realized it was another friend, Chelsea. I chased her down to chat with her for a bit. I gave her some idea of the course ahead. I was impressed with how strong she was running. She had never run there before. Sometimes I think that that is more helpful than actually knowing the course.
It wasn't long until she left me and I dropped back to Mel again. I passed some people on the long uphill and some passed me. Mel was gone at that point. The dogs were in their yard barking at every single person.
Around this time, I finally began to recover a bit. Part of it was the easier trail section. I think the biggest part of it was that it got cloudy again. I was soaked from sweating, but at least I felt better for awhile.
I knew the hills at the end would continue to destroy me. There was one short uphill grassy section and three people in front of me were going slowly. I didn't want to follow them, so I just blew right past them. I had to tie my shoe after that, but I didn't want to stop. Eventually, I tied it later in the race.
I even struggled with the smaller hills before the big hills. The last water stop was at one of the hills before the big hill. My friend Michele filled me up with some water. It was great to have so many friends volunteering. At this point, I was in survival mode.
I got to talking with and running with a woman briefly during this part of the race. It was nothing exciting, just small talk. Finally, we were to the dreaded huge hill. I knew I had no chance of running it, so I just began walking from the bottom. That was certainly tough, but it was much easier than running it partway and then trying to walk. That can be very exhausting. That is one key thing I learned today, either run an entire hill or walk the whole thing. Don't start running and then walk when you get halfway up it. That is so hard.
I walked up the other hill after that and that one didn't seem too bad either. We then got to the creek crossing. It wasn't as high as it had been a week ago. It was quite refreshing. It was funny because I came up from behind someone and he looked at the creek like he didn't know what to do. I passed him and flew right through it.
I crossed the road and again walked the next hill. Near the top, I think 3 more guys passed me. I couldn't probably run this section and suffered, but by this point, there was no reason to. It was already clear that my time would actually be worse than last year and I might not even break 1:40.
When I got to the grass uphill, I saw Ron and his wife volunteering. I chatted with them briefly. This grassy uphill frustrated me last year when I didn't know it was coming. Being prepared, it was much better. I just cruised up it. I had to run it in some fashion.
When you are going out, you can see the people coming back. I saw Chelsea and told her it was all a downhill finish from there. Then I saw Mel. He was pretty far ahead of me. Finally, I made it to the turn around. My friend Laurie was there. I told her that I was never happier to see her. Now, I was heading downhill.
I saw another friend Tim behind me as I was running in. I took off and blew passed a guy. I thought maybe I started going too early. I cruised through the grass downhill. I saw yet another friend Christina coming in the other direction. As I got onto the pavement, Tim came up and passed me. I might've been able to get him back at the line because I usually have a deadly finishing kick, but I figured there was no point in doing so at that time. I would've gone harder to defend my position at that point, but that was it. I finished up and was glad to be done. I didn't take a towel right away because I didn't realize they had finisher towels. Those were cool.
I hung around after the race and chatted with Chelsea for a bit and someone from my old neighborhood as well as some brief conversations with other friends. It was fun socializing. My dad was taking photos and at that point, I didn't realize that he was still doing so. I finally found him and let him go home. I left too for a basketball game.
My strategy backfired, but I still think it was somewhat sound. The key is to go out hard, but not too hard. You want to go out faster than your race pace, but not too fast that you destroy yourself. I sort of figured that might happen, but I had nothing to lose. Go hard early and survive was about the only chance I had to run a fast time.
I was hoping that going to Trexler every week would pay off more than it did. The problem is I'm still just beat up and because of it, I never run hard at all when I'm there. I've become too used to just cruising around there and surviving the hills. It pays to be able to run fast on the runnable flat and downhill sections. I take those too easy too.
I love this race, but this might actually be the last time I do it. It is just so tricky because it is a challenging course, but it is also a short enough distance that you kind of have to run it hard. It makes for a difficult race. My friend Aaron said he wants to organize an ultra there sometime and I think I would like that much more. I love the take it easy and just try to cover distance approach. That seems better than running hard for almost 10 miles. If I don't run again, I'll volunteer for it.
9.21 miles - 1:38:06 (10:39 pace)
Last year, I felt like I ran too slow and conservative early on in the race. This year, I decided to go out hard and see if I could stay in front of a lot of people. I knew there was a chance that that strategy could blow up on me.
I took off very fast. I was definitely inside the Top 10 as I was flying down the paved start of the race. I ran fast and was breathing heavy. Obviously, I knew I wouldn't sustain it. I hoped that on the trail I could slow down a bit and recover. I knew some faster people would certainly pass me.The first uphill slowed me down and quite a few people passed me. I continued to breath heavy and just couldn't recover. The humidity was getting to me, even this early on.
As I got to about 2/3 of a mile, the lead women passed me. I knew right then that I definitely went out way too fast. Not long after the first mile, I already had to walk a short uphill because I had overdone it. I definitely was the first person in the lead pack to be walking.
I think my friend Tim was the first person that I knew that went by me. I kept waiting for Flo and was surprised that quite a few women were ahead of her. She ended up passing me right before mile 2.
Of course I had to walk a lot of the long uphill after that. Sarah passed me in this section. The only cool thing about fading so badly was that I was passed by a lot of friends and got to chat with them.
Again, I was dieing as I started running after the uphill. Of course it was cloudy at the beginning of the race and now that we were out of the woods, the sun was blazing. That slowed me even more. I did pass some people in this area and on the rolling hills. As I was going by one woman, I realized that I had met her before when a friend was doing track workouts. I chatted with her for a bit. I was ahead of her, but then eventually she went flying past and finished well ahead of me.
I got to the first road crossing just after mile 3. My friend Jessica was working there. I already told her I was toast and that my strategy backfired. I said the same thing to my dad who was taking photos just up the trail. I told April that as well at the water stop by the Environmental Center. I was low on water, so I took some to refill my handheld.
Someone was on the ground at the bottom of a hill past the Environmental Center. I guess maybe he collapsed from the heat. I knew if I didn't take it easy, that could very well be me. I don't handle the heat well at all.
My friend Mel had caught me in this section and we ran/walked together for some time. As I was cruising along, this cute young lady passed me and I realized it was another friend, Chelsea. I chased her down to chat with her for a bit. I gave her some idea of the course ahead. I was impressed with how strong she was running. She had never run there before. Sometimes I think that that is more helpful than actually knowing the course.
It wasn't long until she left me and I dropped back to Mel again. I passed some people on the long uphill and some passed me. Mel was gone at that point. The dogs were in their yard barking at every single person.
Around this time, I finally began to recover a bit. Part of it was the easier trail section. I think the biggest part of it was that it got cloudy again. I was soaked from sweating, but at least I felt better for awhile.I knew the hills at the end would continue to destroy me. There was one short uphill grassy section and three people in front of me were going slowly. I didn't want to follow them, so I just blew right past them. I had to tie my shoe after that, but I didn't want to stop. Eventually, I tied it later in the race.
I even struggled with the smaller hills before the big hills. The last water stop was at one of the hills before the big hill. My friend Michele filled me up with some water. It was great to have so many friends volunteering. At this point, I was in survival mode.
I got to talking with and running with a woman briefly during this part of the race. It was nothing exciting, just small talk. Finally, we were to the dreaded huge hill. I knew I had no chance of running it, so I just began walking from the bottom. That was certainly tough, but it was much easier than running it partway and then trying to walk. That can be very exhausting. That is one key thing I learned today, either run an entire hill or walk the whole thing. Don't start running and then walk when you get halfway up it. That is so hard.
I walked up the other hill after that and that one didn't seem too bad either. We then got to the creek crossing. It wasn't as high as it had been a week ago. It was quite refreshing. It was funny because I came up from behind someone and he looked at the creek like he didn't know what to do. I passed him and flew right through it.
I crossed the road and again walked the next hill. Near the top, I think 3 more guys passed me. I couldn't probably run this section and suffered, but by this point, there was no reason to. It was already clear that my time would actually be worse than last year and I might not even break 1:40.
When I got to the grass uphill, I saw Ron and his wife volunteering. I chatted with them briefly. This grassy uphill frustrated me last year when I didn't know it was coming. Being prepared, it was much better. I just cruised up it. I had to run it in some fashion.
When you are going out, you can see the people coming back. I saw Chelsea and told her it was all a downhill finish from there. Then I saw Mel. He was pretty far ahead of me. Finally, I made it to the turn around. My friend Laurie was there. I told her that I was never happier to see her. Now, I was heading downhill.
I saw another friend Tim behind me as I was running in. I took off and blew passed a guy. I thought maybe I started going too early. I cruised through the grass downhill. I saw yet another friend Christina coming in the other direction. As I got onto the pavement, Tim came up and passed me. I might've been able to get him back at the line because I usually have a deadly finishing kick, but I figured there was no point in doing so at that time. I would've gone harder to defend my position at that point, but that was it. I finished up and was glad to be done. I didn't take a towel right away because I didn't realize they had finisher towels. Those were cool.
I hung around after the race and chatted with Chelsea for a bit and someone from my old neighborhood as well as some brief conversations with other friends. It was fun socializing. My dad was taking photos and at that point, I didn't realize that he was still doing so. I finally found him and let him go home. I left too for a basketball game.
My strategy backfired, but I still think it was somewhat sound. The key is to go out hard, but not too hard. You want to go out faster than your race pace, but not too fast that you destroy yourself. I sort of figured that might happen, but I had nothing to lose. Go hard early and survive was about the only chance I had to run a fast time.I was hoping that going to Trexler every week would pay off more than it did. The problem is I'm still just beat up and because of it, I never run hard at all when I'm there. I've become too used to just cruising around there and surviving the hills. It pays to be able to run fast on the runnable flat and downhill sections. I take those too easy too.
I love this race, but this might actually be the last time I do it. It is just so tricky because it is a challenging course, but it is also a short enough distance that you kind of have to run it hard. It makes for a difficult race. My friend Aaron said he wants to organize an ultra there sometime and I think I would like that much more. I love the take it easy and just try to cover distance approach. That seems better than running hard for almost 10 miles. If I don't run again, I'll volunteer for it.
9.21 miles - 1:38:06 (10:39 pace)
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Pushing Myself
Today was a great day. The plan was to bike some and also run. I wanted to ride in the morning before work, but I couldn't sleep last night. I had to squeeze the ride in after work. Then I had to run and get it done before some basketball games in the evening. And, oh yeah, it was hot again today.
I went out and rode 20 miles early in the afternoon. The plan wasn't to ride hard, but I often do. I felt good and the pace was quick early on, so I pushed it a bit. I think I rode faster than I ever have (4:07 pace) and that was longer than most of my rides.
I needed to get my Trexler run in for the week, so after an hour and a half of rest, I began a 4 miler at my favorite place to run. Initially, I was just planning 2 miles out and 2 more back going to the normal route. I'm tired of that though, so I decided to change it up and run most of the run in the opposite direction.
Every direction is downhill from the beginning, so that is a good way to start. The ride did loosen up my legs, but they were still a bit sore. I decided to bring my GoPro and get some good photos since I wasn't running hard today. As I was running down some of the early hills, I saw Art from the LVRR, hiking with his girlfriend. They might've been the only people that would see me with a camera on my head and not think I was completely nuts. Then again, they might still think I'm nuts. After all, I was also running in a lot of heat.
I brought the handheld along again and that helped with my hydration. I still can't decided whether I'll run the race with it or not. I probably will. I walked the early hills to be conservative. It didn't take too long until I was at 1 mile. I thought about turning around there, but I was out on a fairly flat section, so I decided to keep going.
Eventually, I came to the woods. I decided to run through there. I figured that I would keep going until it started to drop and go downhill. That actually didn't happen until right around 1.5 miles, so that was perfect. I ran to there and turned around. Most of my run would be done now when I got back to the Environmental Center.
I passed some people walking along the jeep trail. They must've been from KidsPeace. I also saw a deer that I startled on the main trail. I couldn't get its photo. The main trail section is rolling. I decided to keep pushing on and running.
I had been taking it easy and was planning to continue that. I had even walked on the slight uphill of the jeep road. Now, however, I decided to change it up. I focused on pushing myself through the soreness and tiredness. My goal was to some how, some way run all the way to the Environmental Center. After all, that would only be a little over a mile of running.
I made it through the rolling hills and was on my way to the challenging part. Whenever I've started from the zoo, I've been unable to make it all the way to the top of this hill during the run. I hope that isn't the case on Sunday. I figured that trying to run up it today wouldn't cause any physical adaptations, but it could help me develop my mental toughness.
When I started up the hill, I just tried to focus on each step at a time. I tried to look right in front of me and not at the top of the hill. Occasionally, I took a peek though. I developed a saying, "the hill is only 60% physical. The other 90% is mental." That actually seemed to help and I made it to the top. I was dead and I didn't go fast, but I survived. It felt so rewarding to get to the top.
There is still a short uphill to the Environmental Center, after a brief recovery. I made it up there. After accomplishing so much, I decided that I would try the same thing on the next steep hill. This one is never easy. I sputtered along, but I stayed focused and made it to the top, although I did so very slowly. Still, it was another great sense of accomplishment.
By now, the hard hills were out of the way. I was inside the final mile and knew I had to keep running. I ran part way down one hill and then turned around at 3.5 miles. I knew the final hill would actually be the toughest one on the way back. I figured I now could conquer that though.
The short hill before the final one was a bit of a challenge. My legs were very fatigued by then and I was sweating a lot. I had to press on. Eventually, I made it to the top and finished the run. The last two miles or so were just about as challenging as any two miles of running have ever done.
I'm glad I was mentally able to test myself running over the hills today. That is a big boost heading into the race. On race day, I need to focus on steps going up the hill and just remain focused only on that hill and not look at the top of it. If I can do that, I can push myself farther than I think I can.
The race is going to be interesting. Last year, I held back and ran pretty smart, but I couldn't catch many people. This year, I plan to go out hard early on. I'm hoping that I can then recover some in the middle and push again toward the end. I just hope I don't kill myself too much too early. Regardless, I think this strategy is worth a try.
4 miles - 44:19 (11:05 pace)
I went out and rode 20 miles early in the afternoon. The plan wasn't to ride hard, but I often do. I felt good and the pace was quick early on, so I pushed it a bit. I think I rode faster than I ever have (4:07 pace) and that was longer than most of my rides.
I needed to get my Trexler run in for the week, so after an hour and a half of rest, I began a 4 miler at my favorite place to run. Initially, I was just planning 2 miles out and 2 more back going to the normal route. I'm tired of that though, so I decided to change it up and run most of the run in the opposite direction.Every direction is downhill from the beginning, so that is a good way to start. The ride did loosen up my legs, but they were still a bit sore. I decided to bring my GoPro and get some good photos since I wasn't running hard today. As I was running down some of the early hills, I saw Art from the LVRR, hiking with his girlfriend. They might've been the only people that would see me with a camera on my head and not think I was completely nuts. Then again, they might still think I'm nuts. After all, I was also running in a lot of heat.
I brought the handheld along again and that helped with my hydration. I still can't decided whether I'll run the race with it or not. I probably will. I walked the early hills to be conservative. It didn't take too long until I was at 1 mile. I thought about turning around there, but I was out on a fairly flat section, so I decided to keep going.
Eventually, I came to the woods. I decided to run through there. I figured that I would keep going until it started to drop and go downhill. That actually didn't happen until right around 1.5 miles, so that was perfect. I ran to there and turned around. Most of my run would be done now when I got back to the Environmental Center.
I passed some people walking along the jeep trail. They must've been from KidsPeace. I also saw a deer that I startled on the main trail. I couldn't get its photo. The main trail section is rolling. I decided to keep pushing on and running.
I had been taking it easy and was planning to continue that. I had even walked on the slight uphill of the jeep road. Now, however, I decided to change it up. I focused on pushing myself through the soreness and tiredness. My goal was to some how, some way run all the way to the Environmental Center. After all, that would only be a little over a mile of running.I made it through the rolling hills and was on my way to the challenging part. Whenever I've started from the zoo, I've been unable to make it all the way to the top of this hill during the run. I hope that isn't the case on Sunday. I figured that trying to run up it today wouldn't cause any physical adaptations, but it could help me develop my mental toughness.
When I started up the hill, I just tried to focus on each step at a time. I tried to look right in front of me and not at the top of the hill. Occasionally, I took a peek though. I developed a saying, "the hill is only 60% physical. The other 90% is mental." That actually seemed to help and I made it to the top. I was dead and I didn't go fast, but I survived. It felt so rewarding to get to the top.
There is still a short uphill to the Environmental Center, after a brief recovery. I made it up there. After accomplishing so much, I decided that I would try the same thing on the next steep hill. This one is never easy. I sputtered along, but I stayed focused and made it to the top, although I did so very slowly. Still, it was another great sense of accomplishment.
By now, the hard hills were out of the way. I was inside the final mile and knew I had to keep running. I ran part way down one hill and then turned around at 3.5 miles. I knew the final hill would actually be the toughest one on the way back. I figured I now could conquer that though.The short hill before the final one was a bit of a challenge. My legs were very fatigued by then and I was sweating a lot. I had to press on. Eventually, I made it to the top and finished the run. The last two miles or so were just about as challenging as any two miles of running have ever done.
I'm glad I was mentally able to test myself running over the hills today. That is a big boost heading into the race. On race day, I need to focus on steps going up the hill and just remain focused only on that hill and not look at the top of it. If I can do that, I can push myself farther than I think I can.
The race is going to be interesting. Last year, I held back and ran pretty smart, but I couldn't catch many people. This year, I plan to go out hard early on. I'm hoping that I can then recover some in the middle and push again toward the end. I just hope I don't kill myself too much too early. Regardless, I think this strategy is worth a try.
4 miles - 44:19 (11:05 pace)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Another Double Digit Trail Run
Yesterday's 16 trail miles at Jacobsburg were definitely tough. I felt like I had recovered fairly well from them though, so I wanted to try running a long(ish) trail run again today. It does seem that riding my bike loosens up my legs too and makes my runs better. Therefore, I opted for an easy hour ride before today's run.
I didn't get out until later that I wanted to to begin my ride. By the time I was done with that ride, it was already after 6 PM. I had not had dinner yet, but that would have to wait. I was only able to get an hour of rest before my run.
I did want to run some in daylight, but also hoped to finish at night. Originally, I was thinking about heading to Lehigh to run the trails there. However, I just opted for Jacobsburg again. That is a little closer.
I want to run ultras sometime and when you train for longer ultras, you do so by having back to back long runs. It is hard to run 50 miles at once, so you'll run something like 30 miles on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday. I wasn't going anywhere near that far, but I wanted to try back to back double digit days anyway and see how my body would handle it.
The park is actually closed after dark. There is a gate in the main lot, so I couldn't risk them closing it on me. I parked up the road a bit. All the other lots have "No Parking After Sunset" signs, but I didn't see one at this lot, so I went there. It is where I used to park as a kid when my dad and I went fishing in the creek.
This spot was actually a good starting place. It is right in between the Homestead Loop and the Sober's Run Loop. I could run each loop and then add some mileage as needed. I ran along the road briefly and into the Sober's Run Loop. The very beginning was awful, but I felt better shortly.
I turned right early on and ran through a true dirt trail section. A lot of this park has wide stone paths. This section is a dirt singletrack on a ridge above the creek. That meant it was mostly flat and the softness of the dirt felt great for my sore quads. The early miles were still a slow go.
The roads were wet, so I guess a storm came through there. The trail conditions seemed fine though. After the dirt section, I had to run around some overgrowth. They haven't trimmed the brush very well there. I tried not to brush up against anything, but that was basically impossible. It is the second day in a row that I went through that section. I'm just hoping I don't get poison ivy.
My legs were quite beat, so I walked briefly every now and then. I even did so on the flat sections from time to time. I passed a dad walking with his kids just before the powerline trail. They were cute. I walked up the powerline trail to save my body.
Just like yesterday, it was very humid. It didn't feel too bad when I was running, but it was awful whenever I began walking. With all this early walking, the pace was slow. I knew it wouldn't be long until I was cruising downhill though.
It was great to be able to descend. My pace was faster and I just stopped taking walking breaks. I had to cruise along until I got back to the car. I was only just over a 5K into the run and I was already pretty beat and my legs were struggling.
I figured that with this slow pace and all the walking I was doing, I could finish the 10 miles that I set out to do. It just might take a while. I finished the first loop at 3.25 miles. I really was hoping it would be a little longer. I knew the second loop was 3.9 miles yesterday. I was hoping each loop would be 4 miles and then I could do 2 short miles to finish up.
I rested at the car briefly and grabbed some more to drink. I wiped off with my towel. Being able to just focus on each loop was huge. Breaking down the run into smaller runs made it so much more manageable. I guess that is how people are able to get through ultras. They know they have a long way to go overall, but they just focus on getting to the next aid station.
Now, I was running the Homestead Loop. This time, I would go in the counterclockwise direction. That is the opposite of what I normally do. By doing this, I would start uphill and be able to mostly cruise downhill to finish.
I walked a fair amount in the early portion of this loop. This is the loop that is exposed to the sun. The nice thing is that today, it was cloudy. A saw a bunch of rabbits in this area. They seemed to really be around as darkness was approaching.
As I started coming downhill, I ran by some houses next to the trail. I heard barking dogs and was a little concerned. I heard them yesterday too. They would've had to run through a lot of brush to get to me, but I wouldn't be surprised by that. Thankfully, I had no issues.
I ran through the Boulton Historic Site. There are some cool buildings there. I usually run through there so fast that I don't take much time to look at them. At my slower current pace the last two days, I enjoyed them a little more.
I didn't feel terrible when I hit mile 5, but I didn't feel good either. I figured that I would finish the run, but it also wouldn't be easy. I enjoyed a lot of this fast section back to the main parking lot. When I got there, I refilled my water. I drank a lot of water today, but only used 1 electrolyte tablet.
I went up and down the hills around the new construction site and was back at my car. That was after exactly 4 miles on this loop. I was at 7.25 miles total. By now, it was really getting dark. There was still visibility, but I knew it would be short lived.
I rested again, but only briefly. The frustrating thing was that my shorts were just soaked by this point. I really hate the humidity. I grabbed my headlamp and headed out for the final 2.75 miles.
The bugs fly at the light of your headlamp. That took some getting used to. After some time, I didn't even notice it. This time, I wasn't doing a full loop. It would just be an out and back segment. I figured that I would just run on the main path. The problem was that I forgot how to get to it. I didn't go out far enough and I ended up on a narrow, dirt trail.
I knew where I was, but wasn't really sure when this would come out to the main trail. There was so much cover that it was tough to see more than a few feet in front of me, even with the light. At one point, I stumbled over a root that I thought I was past. At least I didn't fall. I decided then that when I found the smoother main path, I would follow it.
Eventually, I came out to that path and ran out along it. I was nearly to the parking lot when I turned around. This was 1.25 miles into this segment. That meant I would have to run an extra quarter mile at the end. However, this trail actually curves near the end, so that added some distance. I saw a small frog hop toward me on the trail. That was kind of cool.
It was now very dark and I looked forward to finishing the run, as I approached the final mile. This part was all flat, so I ran it. I was sputtering along, but still going. I ran most of these final 2.75 miles.
When I got back to my car, I had a tenth of a mile to go until I was done. I briefly ran up the Homestead Trail before turning around. I was beat, but glad to have 10 more trail miles under the belt.
Although I'm very sore, these last two days were a good test. I'm sure no ultra runner yet, but I'm working on it. I love being able to walk here and there and recover when I need it. Not worrying so much about pace and just enjoying the trail has been a big plus too. Bringing along water has helped as well.
Tomorrow, I might bike, but I definitely won't be running. I need to take it easy now with Quadzilla coming up on Sunday. To keep my Trexler streak alive before the race, I'll probably run there on Thursday. It will likely just be an easy 3 or 4 miles. I'll be quite busy with basketball games over the next week and a half, so fitting it workouts will be interesting.
10 miles - 1:53:18 (11:20 pace)
I didn't get out until later that I wanted to to begin my ride. By the time I was done with that ride, it was already after 6 PM. I had not had dinner yet, but that would have to wait. I was only able to get an hour of rest before my run.
I did want to run some in daylight, but also hoped to finish at night. Originally, I was thinking about heading to Lehigh to run the trails there. However, I just opted for Jacobsburg again. That is a little closer.
I want to run ultras sometime and when you train for longer ultras, you do so by having back to back long runs. It is hard to run 50 miles at once, so you'll run something like 30 miles on Saturday and 20 miles on Sunday. I wasn't going anywhere near that far, but I wanted to try back to back double digit days anyway and see how my body would handle it.
The park is actually closed after dark. There is a gate in the main lot, so I couldn't risk them closing it on me. I parked up the road a bit. All the other lots have "No Parking After Sunset" signs, but I didn't see one at this lot, so I went there. It is where I used to park as a kid when my dad and I went fishing in the creek.
This spot was actually a good starting place. It is right in between the Homestead Loop and the Sober's Run Loop. I could run each loop and then add some mileage as needed. I ran along the road briefly and into the Sober's Run Loop. The very beginning was awful, but I felt better shortly.
I turned right early on and ran through a true dirt trail section. A lot of this park has wide stone paths. This section is a dirt singletrack on a ridge above the creek. That meant it was mostly flat and the softness of the dirt felt great for my sore quads. The early miles were still a slow go.
The roads were wet, so I guess a storm came through there. The trail conditions seemed fine though. After the dirt section, I had to run around some overgrowth. They haven't trimmed the brush very well there. I tried not to brush up against anything, but that was basically impossible. It is the second day in a row that I went through that section. I'm just hoping I don't get poison ivy.
My legs were quite beat, so I walked briefly every now and then. I even did so on the flat sections from time to time. I passed a dad walking with his kids just before the powerline trail. They were cute. I walked up the powerline trail to save my body.
Just like yesterday, it was very humid. It didn't feel too bad when I was running, but it was awful whenever I began walking. With all this early walking, the pace was slow. I knew it wouldn't be long until I was cruising downhill though.
It was great to be able to descend. My pace was faster and I just stopped taking walking breaks. I had to cruise along until I got back to the car. I was only just over a 5K into the run and I was already pretty beat and my legs were struggling.
I figured that with this slow pace and all the walking I was doing, I could finish the 10 miles that I set out to do. It just might take a while. I finished the first loop at 3.25 miles. I really was hoping it would be a little longer. I knew the second loop was 3.9 miles yesterday. I was hoping each loop would be 4 miles and then I could do 2 short miles to finish up.
I rested at the car briefly and grabbed some more to drink. I wiped off with my towel. Being able to just focus on each loop was huge. Breaking down the run into smaller runs made it so much more manageable. I guess that is how people are able to get through ultras. They know they have a long way to go overall, but they just focus on getting to the next aid station.
Now, I was running the Homestead Loop. This time, I would go in the counterclockwise direction. That is the opposite of what I normally do. By doing this, I would start uphill and be able to mostly cruise downhill to finish.
I walked a fair amount in the early portion of this loop. This is the loop that is exposed to the sun. The nice thing is that today, it was cloudy. A saw a bunch of rabbits in this area. They seemed to really be around as darkness was approaching.
As I started coming downhill, I ran by some houses next to the trail. I heard barking dogs and was a little concerned. I heard them yesterday too. They would've had to run through a lot of brush to get to me, but I wouldn't be surprised by that. Thankfully, I had no issues.
I ran through the Boulton Historic Site. There are some cool buildings there. I usually run through there so fast that I don't take much time to look at them. At my slower current pace the last two days, I enjoyed them a little more.
I didn't feel terrible when I hit mile 5, but I didn't feel good either. I figured that I would finish the run, but it also wouldn't be easy. I enjoyed a lot of this fast section back to the main parking lot. When I got there, I refilled my water. I drank a lot of water today, but only used 1 electrolyte tablet.
I went up and down the hills around the new construction site and was back at my car. That was after exactly 4 miles on this loop. I was at 7.25 miles total. By now, it was really getting dark. There was still visibility, but I knew it would be short lived.
I rested again, but only briefly. The frustrating thing was that my shorts were just soaked by this point. I really hate the humidity. I grabbed my headlamp and headed out for the final 2.75 miles.
The bugs fly at the light of your headlamp. That took some getting used to. After some time, I didn't even notice it. This time, I wasn't doing a full loop. It would just be an out and back segment. I figured that I would just run on the main path. The problem was that I forgot how to get to it. I didn't go out far enough and I ended up on a narrow, dirt trail.
I knew where I was, but wasn't really sure when this would come out to the main trail. There was so much cover that it was tough to see more than a few feet in front of me, even with the light. At one point, I stumbled over a root that I thought I was past. At least I didn't fall. I decided then that when I found the smoother main path, I would follow it.
Eventually, I came out to that path and ran out along it. I was nearly to the parking lot when I turned around. This was 1.25 miles into this segment. That meant I would have to run an extra quarter mile at the end. However, this trail actually curves near the end, so that added some distance. I saw a small frog hop toward me on the trail. That was kind of cool.
It was now very dark and I looked forward to finishing the run, as I approached the final mile. This part was all flat, so I ran it. I was sputtering along, but still going. I ran most of these final 2.75 miles.
When I got back to my car, I had a tenth of a mile to go until I was done. I briefly ran up the Homestead Trail before turning around. I was beat, but glad to have 10 more trail miles under the belt.
Although I'm very sore, these last two days were a good test. I'm sure no ultra runner yet, but I'm working on it. I love being able to walk here and there and recover when I need it. Not worrying so much about pace and just enjoying the trail has been a big plus too. Bringing along water has helped as well.
Tomorrow, I might bike, but I definitely won't be running. I need to take it easy now with Quadzilla coming up on Sunday. To keep my Trexler streak alive before the race, I'll probably run there on Thursday. It will likely just be an easy 3 or 4 miles. I'll be quite busy with basketball games over the next week and a half, so fitting it workouts will be interesting.
10 miles - 1:53:18 (11:20 pace)
Monday, July 8, 2013
A Tough 16 Trail Miles
I biked last night, but have been so busy lately that I haven't done a whole lot. Today, I was finally free and needed a long run. Since I'm pretty much giving up on trying to run a decent marathon in the fall, I'm starting to work on my trail running and hoping that maybe I can enter an ultra in the fall.
I headed to Jacobsburg State Park. It was super hot and humid out today. It has been like that the last few days. After a cool and rainy June, I was afraid that it would be unbearable once the heat arrived. The good thing is that because I was trail running, I had a lot of shade.
I was hoping to run 20 miles, but figured that might be a lot on such a hot day. Anything over 15 miles would be an accomplishment. That distance has pretty much been my long run goal each week. I want to run that much as a minimum.
With all of the heat and humidity, I knew that I would have to bring water along and some nutrition too. I need to learn how to eat and drink more on long runs too, especially if I plan to enter ultras.
I was planning several loops. I also intended to walk some of the hills. The only thing is that there aren't many hills in Jacobsburg. Most of the ones that do exist aren't very steep either. It is an easy place to run. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not.
I bought a handheld bottle and some electrolyte tablets to drop into it. That seemed to work out pretty good. I had bought one before and found it kind of annoying. That was when I was marathon training though and more worried about my pace. Running nice and easy today, the handheld wasn't a problem at all. I just switched hands every few miles.
I usually run on the main path out of the parking lot. Today, I started the first loop by just going straight across the street. That made the distance of the first loop slightly less than normal.
I cruised around and felt good. The heat didn't feel bad at all, with all of the shade. It was actually more noticeable any time that I stopped and walked. I came to another guy running early on. He was one of the few runners that I encountered. I rarely see people running there. There were quite a few hikers out. I didn't see any horses or mountain bikers, that I can recall.
The first loop was easy and pretty uneventful. I like these type of trail runs because I don't focus on pace at all. When I saw that my first couple miles were around an 11 minute pace, I just decided to try to stay under that for most of the run. Of course I could go much faster, but I wanted to survive the run and the humidity.
I ran through a lot of the muddy section. We have had so much rain lately, so that was a blast. Some parts were so muddy that it was tough to even find a place to run through. This is a gradual uphill section and I did walk some of it.
Even when there are hills that I walked, they usually were short. The one exception is the powerline hill. It is fairly long and has a decent slope. The other issue is that it is one of the few trails exposed to the sun. I made sure to walk it.
Most of the last few miles of this loop were awesome. The remainder of the Sober's Run Loop is largely downhill. I was going easy and still putting in some nice times. They were just over a 9 mile pace.
There was some walking to get around the construction area. It will be nice when the new building is done and I don't have to detour around it. I do sort of like going uphill there though and it does add some distance. I finished up the first loop at 5.6 miles.
I was pretty beat when I stopped. I tried to get shade and continue to drink and I also ate an energy bar. There was actually a bit of a breeze and after stopping, I felt pretty good a few minutes later. My shorts were unbelievably soaked though. It was like I went swimming and I had not even run 6 miles. There were just an awful pair of shorts. Luckily, I had another pair with me and I changed into those. They worked out much better for the remainder of the run.
The second loop was a shorter loop. However, it had a steep climb and worse yet, a lot of it was run through open field. I knew that would be a bit of a challenge. Actually, it wasn't too bad because I walked a lot of the hill. There also seemed to be some cloud cover when I was in the field area.
The first couple miles of this loop were slow and a little challenging. I knew a lot of the end of it would be downhill though. It seemed to go by pretty quick. I had another electrolyte tablet with my water and that seemed to be helping. I didn't notice much salt on my face. That is usually a problem when I don't drink enough.
I startled a woman coming around a turn. She was hiking. I finished this loop a short time later. It was 3.9 miles long. I was now at 9.5 total miles. Again, the rest helped. I was quite beat though. I knew the final loop would be tough.
This time, I did the same loop as the first time. The only difference was that went out on the main path and thus extended it. I knew that with the extra distance, I'd easily hit 15 miles and would probably run to mile 16. By this point, I knew there was no way that I was doing more mileage than this loop. It was just too hot and humid, even in the shade.
I passed a few people walking their dogs along the creek. Again, not much happened on this loop. It was rather lonely. I kind of like that too. It makes for a good mental challenge. I do find running the miles on the trail can be more relaxing.
By the time I reached 13 miles, I was quite exhausted. It dawned on me that I had never run this far alone on a trail before. That was a nice accomplishment. My legs were starting to get sore by now and my whole body was just tiring. The good thing was that since I had walked quite a bit, I could walk again if I had to.
I still mostly walked the uphills, like the muddy section and powerline section. Sometimes, I was so beat that I even briefly walked flat sections. That didn't last long. I was sore and exhausted, but I had to keep going. The electrolyte tablets in the water were sure a big help, but I was still sweating a lot.
Right before the powerline trail section, it was quite a struggle. I was losing it. It was a big help knowing that when I got past the powerlines and back into the woods, it would mostly be downhill from that point on.
I was still tired, but I got a nice second wind thanks to the downhill. I watched as my overall pace dropped. It had slowed to well over 11 minutes on this loop, thanks to the extra walking. I kept just focusing on the next half mile or mile.
Finally, I was downhill near the main lot and heading back to the finish. At this point, I was very close to 16 total miles. To get there, I ran about .2 miles out on the flat main path. It was great to be done.
My legs were quite sore after this one. It definitely beat me up. It was great to be done. This was one of my more challenging runs ever. The heat and humidity made it so hard, as did running on trails and doing so alone.
It's hard to believe that a 50K is another 15 miles. I would like to do that in the fall, but I guess I'll let time dictate that. I think one of the things that made this run so tough was that so much of the route is runnable. If it were a more hilly course, I would've walked and recovered a lot more. I think that was why I was able to do more at Dave Decker's Loopy Run. I guess having friends there helped too.
I was hoping that maybe I could run another decent length trail run tomorrow. With how sore my legs are, I guess that is likely out of the question. Trails seem better on the legs, but they still can beat them up quite a bit. I'll probably just hop on the bike and try to take it easy.
Loop 1 - 5.6 miles - 57:40 (10:18 pace)
Loop 2 - 3.9 miles - 40:59 (10:31 pace)
Loop 3 - 6.5 miles - 1:12:07 (11:05 pace)
I headed to Jacobsburg State Park. It was super hot and humid out today. It has been like that the last few days. After a cool and rainy June, I was afraid that it would be unbearable once the heat arrived. The good thing is that because I was trail running, I had a lot of shade.
I was hoping to run 20 miles, but figured that might be a lot on such a hot day. Anything over 15 miles would be an accomplishment. That distance has pretty much been my long run goal each week. I want to run that much as a minimum.
With all of the heat and humidity, I knew that I would have to bring water along and some nutrition too. I need to learn how to eat and drink more on long runs too, especially if I plan to enter ultras.
I was planning several loops. I also intended to walk some of the hills. The only thing is that there aren't many hills in Jacobsburg. Most of the ones that do exist aren't very steep either. It is an easy place to run. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not.
I bought a handheld bottle and some electrolyte tablets to drop into it. That seemed to work out pretty good. I had bought one before and found it kind of annoying. That was when I was marathon training though and more worried about my pace. Running nice and easy today, the handheld wasn't a problem at all. I just switched hands every few miles.
I usually run on the main path out of the parking lot. Today, I started the first loop by just going straight across the street. That made the distance of the first loop slightly less than normal.
I cruised around and felt good. The heat didn't feel bad at all, with all of the shade. It was actually more noticeable any time that I stopped and walked. I came to another guy running early on. He was one of the few runners that I encountered. I rarely see people running there. There were quite a few hikers out. I didn't see any horses or mountain bikers, that I can recall.
The first loop was easy and pretty uneventful. I like these type of trail runs because I don't focus on pace at all. When I saw that my first couple miles were around an 11 minute pace, I just decided to try to stay under that for most of the run. Of course I could go much faster, but I wanted to survive the run and the humidity.
I ran through a lot of the muddy section. We have had so much rain lately, so that was a blast. Some parts were so muddy that it was tough to even find a place to run through. This is a gradual uphill section and I did walk some of it.
Even when there are hills that I walked, they usually were short. The one exception is the powerline hill. It is fairly long and has a decent slope. The other issue is that it is one of the few trails exposed to the sun. I made sure to walk it.
Most of the last few miles of this loop were awesome. The remainder of the Sober's Run Loop is largely downhill. I was going easy and still putting in some nice times. They were just over a 9 mile pace.
There was some walking to get around the construction area. It will be nice when the new building is done and I don't have to detour around it. I do sort of like going uphill there though and it does add some distance. I finished up the first loop at 5.6 miles.
I was pretty beat when I stopped. I tried to get shade and continue to drink and I also ate an energy bar. There was actually a bit of a breeze and after stopping, I felt pretty good a few minutes later. My shorts were unbelievably soaked though. It was like I went swimming and I had not even run 6 miles. There were just an awful pair of shorts. Luckily, I had another pair with me and I changed into those. They worked out much better for the remainder of the run.
The second loop was a shorter loop. However, it had a steep climb and worse yet, a lot of it was run through open field. I knew that would be a bit of a challenge. Actually, it wasn't too bad because I walked a lot of the hill. There also seemed to be some cloud cover when I was in the field area.
The first couple miles of this loop were slow and a little challenging. I knew a lot of the end of it would be downhill though. It seemed to go by pretty quick. I had another electrolyte tablet with my water and that seemed to be helping. I didn't notice much salt on my face. That is usually a problem when I don't drink enough.
I startled a woman coming around a turn. She was hiking. I finished this loop a short time later. It was 3.9 miles long. I was now at 9.5 total miles. Again, the rest helped. I was quite beat though. I knew the final loop would be tough.
This time, I did the same loop as the first time. The only difference was that went out on the main path and thus extended it. I knew that with the extra distance, I'd easily hit 15 miles and would probably run to mile 16. By this point, I knew there was no way that I was doing more mileage than this loop. It was just too hot and humid, even in the shade.
I passed a few people walking their dogs along the creek. Again, not much happened on this loop. It was rather lonely. I kind of like that too. It makes for a good mental challenge. I do find running the miles on the trail can be more relaxing.
By the time I reached 13 miles, I was quite exhausted. It dawned on me that I had never run this far alone on a trail before. That was a nice accomplishment. My legs were starting to get sore by now and my whole body was just tiring. The good thing was that since I had walked quite a bit, I could walk again if I had to.
I still mostly walked the uphills, like the muddy section and powerline section. Sometimes, I was so beat that I even briefly walked flat sections. That didn't last long. I was sore and exhausted, but I had to keep going. The electrolyte tablets in the water were sure a big help, but I was still sweating a lot.
Right before the powerline trail section, it was quite a struggle. I was losing it. It was a big help knowing that when I got past the powerlines and back into the woods, it would mostly be downhill from that point on.
I was still tired, but I got a nice second wind thanks to the downhill. I watched as my overall pace dropped. It had slowed to well over 11 minutes on this loop, thanks to the extra walking. I kept just focusing on the next half mile or mile.
Finally, I was downhill near the main lot and heading back to the finish. At this point, I was very close to 16 total miles. To get there, I ran about .2 miles out on the flat main path. It was great to be done.
My legs were quite sore after this one. It definitely beat me up. It was great to be done. This was one of my more challenging runs ever. The heat and humidity made it so hard, as did running on trails and doing so alone.
It's hard to believe that a 50K is another 15 miles. I would like to do that in the fall, but I guess I'll let time dictate that. I think one of the things that made this run so tough was that so much of the route is runnable. If it were a more hilly course, I would've walked and recovered a lot more. I think that was why I was able to do more at Dave Decker's Loopy Run. I guess having friends there helped too.
I was hoping that maybe I could run another decent length trail run tomorrow. With how sore my legs are, I guess that is likely out of the question. Trails seem better on the legs, but they still can beat them up quite a bit. I'll probably just hop on the bike and try to take it easy.
Loop 1 - 5.6 miles - 57:40 (10:18 pace)
Loop 2 - 3.9 miles - 40:59 (10:31 pace)
Loop 3 - 6.5 miles - 1:12:07 (11:05 pace)
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Trexler Night Run
I haven't run much lately. Mostly, I've been on the bike to save my legs. I rode 30 miles on Friday (a new high) and 20 more on Sunday. Yesterday, I added in an easy 12, after 8 the day before. I had to get in a run and I had to do it at Trexler. The end of the week is busy, so I headed there for a run that my friend Todd invited me too.
The run was at night. I've been wanting to run at Trexler at night for a long time. It was perfect. The only issue was that I was going to a minor league baseball game. Luckily, the people that run trails at night are a little bit crazy. I couldn't make it for the first loop, but I arrived early for the second one.
They had about 15 people going and most of them were only doing one loop, so I didn't have a lot of company. It poured so bad and there was thunder and lightning when I was at the game, so I almost didn't go. I was glad I did though, because it didn't rain much up there. It was just a nasty cell that went through the area, but missed this part of it.
I saw all the guys coming back from the first run and they were soaked and said it was very humid. That was helpful to know because it felt nice. I elected to run without a shirt on. One issue was that I had no water, so running 8.5 miles would be a little tough. With a few of the guys going 4 or 5 loops (I can't even imagine that there), I knew the pace would be slow and I could handle a loop without water.
It took some time until everyone got back from the first loop. I guess they were waiting for people at some points. I finally took off with a two guys that I didn't know. We ran ahead of Todd. It was already around 10:30 when this loop started.
I did run at night some, but that is on flat trails, definitely not places like this. It was tricky for my eyes to get used to. On the downhills, I was definitely slow and cautious.
The ground was wet everywhere, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the time, the trail was clear. At night, you can't see much of anything at Trexler. I'm glad I knew the route. We actually took the loop backwards. They were switching it up every lap. That was good, since I don't usually go this way. I usually follow the Quadzilla race direction.
I just ran along following these guys. I felt pretty good and was only doing one loop, so I could've run ahead. However, I wanted some company. I just let them lead the way and dictate the pace.
We walked up almost every significant uphill. That certainly saved my legs. It also made the run go slowly. Every mile seemed to take forever.
The humidity was bad, but actually it wasn't that noticeable until we would stop and walk. At times, there was a mist out and you could see it on your headlamp.
The guys I was running are military guys and they are a different bread. They train how I wish I could train and hope to one day. I want to be the guy that normal runners look at and think, "that guy is crazy." They'll run several loops here and the one guy used to even do loops while dragging tires around. I love all my normal runner friends, but these ultrarunning people definitely have more of my mindset.
These guys knew each other, so they talked a lot. I didn't have too much to say, especially because I can't relate to their crazy training methods. Maybe one day.
Even though I know this trail well, at times I wasn't quite sure where we were. Part of that was that we were running the trail in the opposite direction that I am used to. Normally, the scenery here during the day is beautiful, but at night, you can't see much of anything.
The hills were tough, but with all the recent rain, the creek crossing was definitely the most unique and challenging aspect of the run. The water was almost waist high. It was even trickier because it was so dark that you couldn't see the rocks at the bottom. I made it across, but at one point, I could feel the current pushing me down stream. Now, I see how people can drown so easily this time of year in real rivers.
The steep hill that is the toughest on the course was sure interesting going down. Normally, I am running up it. It took me forever to get down it. The guy in front of me just flew down it.
It seemed like the run was taking forever. Knowing how the trail is setup was helpful though. I realized that the final 2 miles would be mostly runnable. It was and that was nice as time flew by.
One big reason that I stuck with these guys was because I didn't know how to get around the gate crossing. It closes when the zoo closes. I've never run through there when it was closed. I didn't realize that you can just walk right around it.
After I got past the gate, I just took off. I was beat and needed the run to be over. I left those guys behind for the final mile. I was only doing the one loop after all. The hills from this point on were a bit of a challenge, but I ran most of them. I walked only briefly. I was still done in well under 2 hours. That wasn't too bad.
I wish I could've done another loop, but I'm traveling a lot today and I needed some sleep. It would've been after 3 AM that I would've been home after a second loop. If only I could've started earlier. If only I brought water too. Maybe next time. Running there at night was great and I definitely want to do it again.
For the longest time, I've known that I want to get into trail running and ultras. I figured that would be my main type of running. I just love the challenge of longer distances. This run and Dave Decker's Loopy run have just reinforced this.
I figured that I would qualify for Boston first. Then, I'd run it once and be done with marathons forever. I enjoy distances, but marathons aren't much fun to me. Since my body is crap now and I'm so slow, I might just sign up for an ultra and start running those and if my speed ever comes back again, I'll shoot for a BQ. I already have my sights set on a 50K in the fall.
8.51 miles - 1:48:09 (12:43 pace)
The run was at night. I've been wanting to run at Trexler at night for a long time. It was perfect. The only issue was that I was going to a minor league baseball game. Luckily, the people that run trails at night are a little bit crazy. I couldn't make it for the first loop, but I arrived early for the second one.
They had about 15 people going and most of them were only doing one loop, so I didn't have a lot of company. It poured so bad and there was thunder and lightning when I was at the game, so I almost didn't go. I was glad I did though, because it didn't rain much up there. It was just a nasty cell that went through the area, but missed this part of it.
I saw all the guys coming back from the first run and they were soaked and said it was very humid. That was helpful to know because it felt nice. I elected to run without a shirt on. One issue was that I had no water, so running 8.5 miles would be a little tough. With a few of the guys going 4 or 5 loops (I can't even imagine that there), I knew the pace would be slow and I could handle a loop without water.
It took some time until everyone got back from the first loop. I guess they were waiting for people at some points. I finally took off with a two guys that I didn't know. We ran ahead of Todd. It was already around 10:30 when this loop started.
I did run at night some, but that is on flat trails, definitely not places like this. It was tricky for my eyes to get used to. On the downhills, I was definitely slow and cautious.
The ground was wet everywhere, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the time, the trail was clear. At night, you can't see much of anything at Trexler. I'm glad I knew the route. We actually took the loop backwards. They were switching it up every lap. That was good, since I don't usually go this way. I usually follow the Quadzilla race direction.
I just ran along following these guys. I felt pretty good and was only doing one loop, so I could've run ahead. However, I wanted some company. I just let them lead the way and dictate the pace.
We walked up almost every significant uphill. That certainly saved my legs. It also made the run go slowly. Every mile seemed to take forever.
The humidity was bad, but actually it wasn't that noticeable until we would stop and walk. At times, there was a mist out and you could see it on your headlamp.
The guys I was running are military guys and they are a different bread. They train how I wish I could train and hope to one day. I want to be the guy that normal runners look at and think, "that guy is crazy." They'll run several loops here and the one guy used to even do loops while dragging tires around. I love all my normal runner friends, but these ultrarunning people definitely have more of my mindset.
These guys knew each other, so they talked a lot. I didn't have too much to say, especially because I can't relate to their crazy training methods. Maybe one day.
Even though I know this trail well, at times I wasn't quite sure where we were. Part of that was that we were running the trail in the opposite direction that I am used to. Normally, the scenery here during the day is beautiful, but at night, you can't see much of anything.
The hills were tough, but with all the recent rain, the creek crossing was definitely the most unique and challenging aspect of the run. The water was almost waist high. It was even trickier because it was so dark that you couldn't see the rocks at the bottom. I made it across, but at one point, I could feel the current pushing me down stream. Now, I see how people can drown so easily this time of year in real rivers.
The steep hill that is the toughest on the course was sure interesting going down. Normally, I am running up it. It took me forever to get down it. The guy in front of me just flew down it.
It seemed like the run was taking forever. Knowing how the trail is setup was helpful though. I realized that the final 2 miles would be mostly runnable. It was and that was nice as time flew by.
One big reason that I stuck with these guys was because I didn't know how to get around the gate crossing. It closes when the zoo closes. I've never run through there when it was closed. I didn't realize that you can just walk right around it.
After I got past the gate, I just took off. I was beat and needed the run to be over. I left those guys behind for the final mile. I was only doing the one loop after all. The hills from this point on were a bit of a challenge, but I ran most of them. I walked only briefly. I was still done in well under 2 hours. That wasn't too bad.
I wish I could've done another loop, but I'm traveling a lot today and I needed some sleep. It would've been after 3 AM that I would've been home after a second loop. If only I could've started earlier. If only I brought water too. Maybe next time. Running there at night was great and I definitely want to do it again.
For the longest time, I've known that I want to get into trail running and ultras. I figured that would be my main type of running. I just love the challenge of longer distances. This run and Dave Decker's Loopy run have just reinforced this.
I figured that I would qualify for Boston first. Then, I'd run it once and be done with marathons forever. I enjoy distances, but marathons aren't much fun to me. Since my body is crap now and I'm so slow, I might just sign up for an ultra and start running those and if my speed ever comes back again, I'll shoot for a BQ. I already have my sights set on a 50K in the fall.
8.51 miles - 1:48:09 (12:43 pace)
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